Aveeno is not cruelty free. Some of their products are vegan, but Aveeno is not 100% vegan as a brand.
Read my analysis below and find out why Aveeno is not cruelty free and vegan. I’ll also share some of my favorite cruelty free and vegan alternatives to Aveeno’s most popular products.
Is Aveeno cruelty free? Are Aveeno products tested on animals?
Unfortunately, Aveeno is not cruelty free. Their products are tested on animals.
This is the official Aveeno animal testing policy:
We want you to feel good about how we make AVEENO® products. You can only do that if you have the facts. The fact is, AVEENO® doesn’t conduct animal testing of our cosmetic products anywhere in the world, except in the rare situation where governments or laws require it. At AVEENO®, we won’t ever compromise on the quality or safety of our products or stop seeking alternatives to animal testing.
In their animal testing policy, Aveeno are referring to mainland China. They admit that their products are tested on animals, therefore, Aveeno is not cruelty free.
Aveeno agrees and pays to have their products and its ingredients tested on animals, in order to be compliant with Chinese laws and regulations.
Brands that sell in mainland China and can’t provide evidence that their suppliers don’t test the ingredients on animals can’t be cruelty free.
They don’t mention anything about the ingredients used within their products. Their suppliers may also test the ingredients on animals.
Aveeno is on PETA’s “companies that do test on animals” list.
So, in conclusion, Aveeno is not cruelty free because their finished products are tested on animals. Also, their suppliers may test the ingredients on animals.
Let’s take a look at the details.
Is Aveeno sold in China?
Yes, Aveeno is sold in mainland China, where animal testing is still required by law.
Why can’t cruelty free brands sell in mainland China?
Animal testing is still happening for products sold in physical stores in mainland China.
Pre-market animal testing is required for all special-use imported products, and non-routine post-market testing on animals may also be done in cases of customer complaints.
However, please keep in mind that this doesn’t apply to products sold in stores at the airports, or in Hong Kong.
Also, products can be sold online and shipped to mainland China without being tested on animals.
Is Aveeno owned by a parent brand? If yes, is it cruelty free?
Aveeno is owned by the company Johnson & Johnson, which is not cruelty free.
This is the official Johnson & Johnson animal testing policy.
Johnson & Johnson Consumer does not test cosmetic or personal care products on animals anywhere in the world, except in rare situations where required by law or where alternatives to validate safety do not exist.
We share our consumers’ values and understand how deeply they care about the well-being of animals, so we are always striving to do better when it comes to this important issue.
By partnering with top research organisations around the world to develop and promote alternative non-animal testing technology, we are committed to both ensuring the safety of our consumers, and to making the strides necessary to forever eliminate the need to test any cosmetic or personal care product or ingredient on an animal.
As you can see, they used similar phrasing as before – “except when required by law”.
Additionally, they also mention that they do test on animals where there are no alternatives to animal testing for that particular test.
This means that Johnson & Johnson is definitely not cruelty free.
Is Aveeno vegan?
Aveeno is not vegan.
Some of their products are vegan, but as a brand, Aveeno is not 100% vegan.
Animal-based ingredients used in most of Aveeno’s products are: lanolin, collagen, beeswax, honey, gelatin and similar animal by-products.
Is Aveeno vegetarian?
Aveeno is not vegetarian.
Some of their products are vegetarian (and even vegan), but as a brand, Aveeno is not 100% vegetarian.
Ingredients that are not vegetarian and are used in most of Aveeno’s products are: lanolin, collagen, gelatin and similar animal-derived products.
Cruelty free and vegan alternatives to Aveeno
Aveeno offers various skin care and hair care products.
Check out my post on the best cruelty free skin care brands that are also 100% vegan and sustainable to discover more alternatives.
These are my favorite cruelty free alternatives to Aveeno:
Pacifica (eco-friently skin care and hair care, 100% vegan)
Purito (k-beauty skin care brand, 100% vegan)
Alba Botanica (almost all products are vegan, except a few products listed in their FAQ)
Paul Mitchell (cruelty free hair care)
Now, I’d like to hear from you.
What do you think about Aveeno’s cruelty free status? What are your favorite cruelty free and vegan alternatives to Aveeno products?
Share in the comments below!
I will never xibsider buying Aveeno products. There are plenty of similar vegan and cruelty products out there to purchase.
If you have sensitive skin and scalp and can only use products that are fragrance-free, many of these companies’ products aren’t viable alternatives. You can be just allergic to organic fragrances and essential oils as you can be to synthetic fragrances. I’m very allergic to roses which is supposed to be good for sensitive skin. I’m always looking for fragrance free products that are also cruelty free. So far my best options are not US companies. Attitude and The Unscented Company are Canadian and No Nothing is Scandinavian, I forget which country.
Hi Susan, thank you for the comments and also for the brand recommendations! I’ll check out the brands you mentioned and I’ll add them to the list of alternatives. By the way, if you’re looking for unscented and cruelty free skincare products, I recommend you check out Drunk Elephant because they specifically avoid irritating ingredients including fragrances, but they’re kind of on the pricey side. Also, you can look up some Korean skincare brands, especially Purito because they have unscented versions of most of their popular products. Another brand with simple ingredients is iUNIK. I actually have an entire post about cruelty free Korean skincare, here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://crueltyfreeonly.com/cruelty-free-korean-skin-care/
I wanted to add that Attitude has products that are the closest to Aveeno. They have some sensitive skin products that are fragrance-free and have oats in them like Aveeno products do.